Committed Advocacy: What it looks like inside Strunk Group

Embracing Committed Advocacy: Insights from Within Strunk Insurance Group;

In a world where the demands of work often overshadow other aspects of life, the concept of committed advocacy takes on meaningful significance. Who is looking out for the humans amidst the hustle and bustle of daily operations? This question resonates deeply within organizations like Strunk Group, where committed advocacy isn’t just a notion—it’s a guiding principle ingrained in our culture.

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Advocacy Beyond the Office.

Our commitment to advocacy extends far beyond the confines of our office walls. We recognize that our employees aren’t just cogs in the machine; they’re individuals with families, personal commitments, and aspirations beyond the workplace. It’s incumbent upon us, as their employer, to advocate for their well-being not only in their professional endeavors but also in their personal lives.

Since we all have to work, why not make it a place that we enjoy coming to, where we feel safe, and where we can make a positive impact in the lives of others? For me, this idea of committed advocacy means supporting employees by trusting them to make decisions that promote work/life integration, to make sure that they have the ability to achieve all that they have to do in any given week.

This includes our responsibilities to our clients and each other, but also their families, their spouses, themselves, and all the commitments in their lives. In practice, this means trusting them to carve out the time they need, to do what they need or want to do.

We have multiple team members that leave every day at 2:30 or three, go do the pickup process, get kids settled, and maybe come back online before dinner. Or they get online for a couple of hours after dinner and work when the kids go down.

I’ll see emails going out until nine or ten. And that’s because they’ve taken the time in the middle of their day to be a parent, or to be part of their family during those two to three hours when they’re needed.

That works the best for them. Other folks come in late and stay late. What is important to us is to accommodate each unique situation.

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Supporting Personal Growth.

Central to our approach is the belief that advocacy begins with supporting our employees’ personal growth journeys.

Whether through coaching sessions, educational initiatives, or wellness programs, we empower our team members to evolve and thrive both personally and professionally.

By investing in their development, we not only enhance their individual capabilities but also foster a culture of continuous improvement within our organization.

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Life Integration, Not Balance.

In embracing the concept of work/life integration over the traditional notion of work-life balance, we acknowledge the inherent complexities of modern-day living.

Our team members aren’t expected to compartmentalize their lives; instead, we encourage them to integrate their work commitments with their personal responsibilities in a way that feels authentic and fulfilling.

Whether it’s adjusting their schedules to accommodate family needs or finding creative ways to maintain a healthy work-life harmony, we prioritize flexibility and individual well-being.

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Leading by Example.

As leaders within our organization, we understand the importance of modeling the principles of committed advocacy in all aspects of our lives.

Just as we advocate for our employees, we strive to embody those same values in our interactions with family, friends, and the broader community. By fostering relationships built on trust, empathy, and mutual respect, we cultivate an environment where advocacy becomes not just a professional duty but a way of life.

One place to see this in action is how we work with clients. If the broker is not advocating for the employees, then who is?

It would be easy to get lost in the shuffle between insurance carriers, doctor’s offices, and facilities. Employees need somebody to help guide them through the process.

It starts with educating on the front end, really understanding how personal and important all these benefits are to every single employee, and making sure that they’re making the correct decisions to support their healthcare journey for the course of that year.

When you set the tone of education, empathy, understanding, and patience from the beginning, that trickles down to the HR departments that we work with in the way that they deal with their employees in and around the employee benefit plans.

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Work with partners with similar values.

It helps that often our clients and partners have a similar approach. Shawn West of Curafin Advisors, our 401K partner, helps run our multiple employer plan 401k. I’ve witnessed him time and time again running employee meetings and talking about retirement. He shares how he grew up watching his single mom struggle to provide.

He shares his understanding of how scary it can be for someone to think about putting aside 5% or 10% of their income, every paycheck or every month, to try to reach the crazy goal of needing x number of dollars to retire. It can feel very unattainable.

Yet he advocates for employees to just get started, to take the first step, and this makes it feel manageable. I’ve always really respected his approach. He educates, showing how small decisions can add up over time. He takes education seriously, as we do, and it makes a difference.

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The world needs more advocates.

Committed advocacy isn’t a fleeting trend or a corporate buzzword at Strunk Group—it’s the cornerstone of our identity. From championing the well-being of our employees to fostering a culture of education and support with our clients, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advocacy, both within our organization and beyond.